Uzbekistan – The Breakfast

When you drive your own vehicle, you get the opportunity to have some pretty unique experiences. One of those experiences happened just outside of Samarkand, UZ. We had pushed through from Tashkent but arrived near Samarkand pretty late in the evening so decided to spend the night in the trucks near an open field. We awoke early in the morning to find a curious farmer tapping on the window. One farmer quickly multiplied into a small crowd of curious locals interested in knowing what four westerners and their strange trucks were doing near their field. It took a while, but we were able to communicate what we were attempting to do and soon found ourselves invited to breakfast in the nearby village. It was quite an occasion and we were all humbled by the extreme generosity and hospitality we were shown by complete strangers. “The Breakfast” will, without a doubt, be one of the highlights of the expedition.

After a group photo, the locals invited us to their house for breakfastWe awoke one morning after sleeping in the trucks to some curious local farmers and herdersUzbeks in the countryside wear very traditional clothingTash trying to explain why we were sleeping in our truck near their fieldBreakfast started out with some breadOne loaf of homemade bread turned into fourWe were taken back to a very traditional Uzbek houseUzbek camouflage This is the best tea you will ever haveSomewhat traditional toiletSomewhat traditional roofing materialsTraditional construction style in the Uzbek countrysideThe family kept an interesting mix of goats and sheep in the back yardOnce word got out that foreigners were in the village, neighbors from all around started to show upEven the little ones where curious about the breakfast guestsBefore we knew it, we had a feast in front of usThe guys showed us the back yard and the father showed us his truckAfter breakfast, the women showed Karie and Tash where the kitchen wasIt seemed like everyone wanted to drive the trucksAfter breakfast, we showed everyone the trucks